Any Downsides to Taking Digestive Super Enzymes to Eliminate Gas? page

[Doulos]

Since finding The Primal Blueprint two months ago, I started shifting my diet and in an effort to ensure that the base of my food pyramid is veggies, I now eat a salad with every meal...even breakfast.

Recently, after finding that broccoli is probably the second most healthy vegetable there is after spinach, I have been adding it and cauliflower to the salad in order to get the micronutrient benefits that are found in cruciferous plants.

I remember seeing warnings about the accompanying side effects of this and the gas thing has come about for me as well.

I did some quick research (on why Beano works) and found that it is nothing more than added digestive enzymes which people here have been talking about. It seems that these veggies have certain carbs in them which are not easily broken down and thus the bacteria in your gut get at them and have their own feast with the gas being the natural byproduct.

It seems like I could take the enzymes, but then I remember that Dr. Lustig on that Sugar The Bitter Truth video said that one of the benefits of these veggies is that they are not broken down and help block excessive uptake of carbs in the gut. It would seem that if you break them down with something like NOW Super Enzymes you would then assimilate them and loose this effect.

Is this a real issue or am I picking at something that doesn't have any real impact in the big scheme of things?

[MichaelH]

Sorry, I don't have anything useful to say about the super enzymes.

Prior to going primal, I was a fairly gassy dude. Now, gas is not a problem AT ALL. I think I have much less gas than most people. I just never have those extended bouts of gassy-ness that I used to have. I think the elimination of wheat has done wonders for my digestion.

[bookstorecowboy]

If a food is causing you to bloat and fart, why not just stop eating it? It's not like broccoli is a necessary food.

[Andtckrtoo]

Or cut back a bit. You can definitely have too much of a good thing.